Emperor Naruhito’s New Year’s Greeting in Photos
Emperor Naruhito greeted the public at the Imperial Palace on New Year’s Day for the first time in two years. I went to photograph the event. It was my first time to photograph him as a reigning monarch. I planned to go in 2024 but the event was cancelled due to the Noto earthquake. It was a good day.
I got up at 6 AM to go early. That way I could beat the crowds, couldn’t I? Well, that was overly optimistic. I left Tokyo Station and I was crushed. Loads of people were walking towards the Imperial Palace with me. Next time I’ll be up at 5 AM.
By the way, what is this event about? It’s simple. The Emperor appears on the balcony of Chowaden Hall on January 2 with family members and he says a few words. He says a few words about the country and wishes for everyone’s good health and peace. He repeats the event a few times that day. I guess it’s a PR exercise.
Well, it’s popular. For his first appearance on 2 January 2025, 13000 people were said to be there. It was literally every man and his dog. Families had come. Many foreigners were there. Of course, there were the right-wingers too. The Emperor pulls a big crowd. He gets a diverse crowd.
Security was on high alert. It was everywhere. The Tokyo riot police brought plenty of their blue buses. Plain-clothed and uniformed police scanned the crowd looking for potential trouble. Even the dog squad was in attendance.
I made my way through the security check and waited. We were early so we waited an hour for the gates to open. That happened at 9:30 and the crowd proceeded inside. We passed over two bridges, Eyeglasses and Nijubashi. Finally, we got into the plaza in front of Chowaden Hall.
The event never changes. Everyone moves in and police guide you where to go. Japanese media occupies a platform at the rear. Everyone waits quietly for the Emperor to appear.
That happened at 10:10. Emperor Naruhito appeared. The crowd burst into a series of, “Tennouheika Banzai” (Hurray for the Emperor). It was deafening. A wall of red and white flags faced him. Japan loves Naruhito.
His wife Masako and daughter, Aiko were with him. Naruhito’s brother and some of his family were there. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and his wife Michiko were also on the balcony.
It was good to see Former Empress Michiko who is ninety years old. She underwent surgery for a broken femur in October. Reports said she attended the event without a cane. She looked in good health.
Once things quietened down, the Emperor made his speech. He spoke of his concerns for the people of Noto who were hit by an earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024. He wished for 2025 to be a peaceful year and prayed for happiness at home and abroad.
And that was it! It was over in a few minutes. Once the Emperor left the balcony, everyone exited out various gates. The sea of humanity was replaced by another. It was a good event.
The only thing I wanted was a longer lens for my camera. I only have the Canon 24-105 mm which didn’t give me enough reach. Emperor Naruhito was small in my viewfinder. I cropped heavily to make him a decent size.
Hopefully, I will get a 70-200 in 2025. That lens would be perfect for this event. Then I can get some nice photos of those people on the balcony! Please leave questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
More Imperial Palace articles:
External related websites:
- Imperial Household Agency (official website)
2 thoughts on “Emperor Naruhito’s New Year’s Greeting in Photos”
Would it be worth trying to get a press pass for next year, like you did for the Tokyo Marathon?
Hi David. The event is run by the Imperial Household Agency, so membership of the FCCJ would be a minimum I suspect. And membership to that (for me anyway) is prohibitively high.Still, your idea might be worth a shot. It’s something to think about anyway! Cheers.